The 2026 World Cup is being held in various stadiums across the United States, including the Dallas, Texas area, where Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 on June 22.
Many football (or soccer internationally) fans across the country are excited to watch the world’s greatest players play. Dr. Kenneth Cooper was one such fan, but he had a unique connection to the game that few can claim. He had direct contributions that helped a team win the World Cup, notably the 1970 Brazilian team. Cooper gave a presentation and met with the team’s coach, who suggested that Cooper’s knowledge could help his athletes, who were in Mexico City at the time. Cooper tested players with his famous “12-minute test” and found that they were running 1.86 miles in 12 minutes.
“I told him to run 20 miles a week,” Cooper recalled. “They were running at a 7-minute pace, running in chunks of 4 to 5 miles to get to 20 miles per week. By the end of that time, a year later, we re-tested them at a 2.3-mile pace in 12 minutes.”
The focus on conditioning paid off as Brazil won six consecutive matches and ultimately took the title back home. Cooper admitted that having a legend like Pelé in his team was a deciding factor, but his tactics also played a role.
“And so, they were in excellent position – they beat everyone in the second half.”
Who is Dr. Kenneth Cooper and why is he called the father of aerobics?
Cooper is revered in the fitness field as the “Father of Aerobics,” but before him, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Cooper served for 13 years, including time as a flight surgeon. His contribution was not only important but historic. Cooper worked directly with NASA to help design the physical conditioning and in-flight anti-deconditioning programs that prepared early American astronauts for space travel. Of course, he also created the famous 12-minute test that was used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness.
Cooper’s help with the Brazilian team is considered the starting point of the great career he had. Cooper reported that after Brazil’s victory in the 1970 World Cup, he visited the country 21 different times, and his name is repeated by citizens even generations later.
“They call jogging “doing the Cooper” in Brazil now.
After retirement from service, Cooper settled in Dallas and focused on his medical practice. Cooper Aerobics Health & Wellness Since then it has become a major part of that community. There was even a group of 20 patients who came to his practice for 45 years to become “Cooperized.” By following his principles on aerobic exercise, nutrition and overall wellness, these patients were found to live longer than average Americans.
“Men lived 86.5 years, women 90.4 years. This is a mean age of 88.6 years, almost ten years longer than the national average.”
Why might your waist size be a better health indicator than weight?
Cooper’s principles are well known to many fitness enthusiasts today, but they may not know that it was he who was among the first to promote them; 150 minutes of exercise a week, five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and while he preferred to abstain from alcohol, he announced a strict limit on tobacco consumption as well as one drink a day.
In addition to his ongoing tests, he also relies on what the Army nowadays calls “tape tests.”
Cooper explained, “Your waist circumference should be no more than half your height. If you’re 5 feet tall, that’s 60 inches of height; your waist should be no more than 30 inches.”
While the Army currently allows 55% of your height in inches for your waist measurement, Cooper is committed to the standard of half.
A key principle that can be considered one of his most important principles is discipline, and he cited his ability to not only survive but work even at the age of 95 as a confirmation of why this is so important.
“In my medical school class of 1956, out of a hundred students, only five of us are left.”
Cooper still exercises regularly and highlighted that he has run the Boston Marathon twice in his lifetime. Despite increasing age, he did not let age become an excuse.
“I ran for 40 years and 38,000 miles; eventually I had to stop running and make a change. But fitness is a journey, not a destination. You should pursue it throughout your life.”
Cooper’s legacy lives on around the world through Cooper Aerobics
With Cooper Aerobics, Cooper is not alone in his mission. Their son Tyler currently serves as president and CEO, and the family business has grown to six businesses and one non-profit and is reaching out to multiple countries with professionals from China even interested in replicating what the Cooper family has achieved. His daughter Berkley is also fitness-conscious and followed in her father’s footsteps by running in the Boston Marathon. Both children are keeping Cooper’s legacy alive and reaching another generation of people who can live healthier and better lives.
“He followed my example.”
Fitness is a journey, not a destination: Cooper’s advice for every age
Cooper is also a renowned author and has 20 books to his credit. His latest, May you become healthier as you age, It contains over half a century of knowledge and experience shared to help readers age appropriately and improve quality of life. In addition to reading his book, Cooper shared the goals that seniors should strive for to not only survive but thrive in their later years.
“I want 80-year-olds to start walking a mile in 17 minutes,” he said. “Because studies have shown that if you can do that, 84% of men and 86% of women will make it to age 90. My wife will be 91 the first time around, so she’s in that category.”
Like her family, Cooper also hopes other parents will teach their children the discipline and skills that come with fitness and health. He even offered his own words of wisdom that can be applied to senior citizens, children or anyone else who needs to improve their quality of life.
“Fitness is a journey, not a destination. You should pursue it throughout your life. So, you only transition; you can no longer run, you can walk, you can swim, or cycle. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
You can order Cooper’s latest book here Amazon.
M&F senior military editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.
